Nine dead, 26 injured in China fireworks factory blast

Fire is seen at Oriental Mills Ltd godown caused by gas explosion in Mradi in Embakasi East Constituency. [Wilberforce Okwiri,Standard]

An explosion at a fireworks factory in central China killed nine people and injured 26 others, state media said Tuesday, as challenging on-site rescue work continued a day after the incident.

The blast occurred shortly before 8:30 am Monday at a factory in a village outside Changde, a city in Hunan province, state-run China National Radio (CNR) said.